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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wax — to grow
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pass — a permit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — temperature
  12. face — to confront
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. can — a tin
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — from a university
  20. can — to be able to
  21. degree — an amount
  22. drill — a practice
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com